This site documents
my hunting and shooting hobbies and experiences. I have
some information on hand reloading ammunition for 38
Special and 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum. In addition I also
have hunting pictures of mine and family and friends,
targets to print out and even the design for a reloading
bench for the DIYer (that anyone can build on a pauper's
budget). There is an area where I have some gun owner
manuals, hunting gear I use, hunting safety tips and even
a mini review on the digital camera I use to take my
hunting and shooting photos.

What
Kind of Hunting?

My hunting includes
squirrel hunting with rifle and Whitetail Deer hunting
with compound bow, shotgun, handgun and muzzleloader. Bow
hunting is definitely what I enjoy the most with
muzzleloader hunting coming in a close second. One has to
fool the accute senses of Whitetail, which is not an easy
thing to do. I dont hunt to get trophies or just to kill
something, I hunt to get a supply of meat to make
homemade jerky, snack-stix, steaks and ground mince
(which is superb in chili). A roast deer shoulder is fine
eating also, especially from a younger yearling deer. In
addition to squirrel and deer hunting I also hunt
rabbits, pheasant and quail when in season with shotgun.

2014 ILLINOIS ARCHERY SEASON COUNTDOWN

305 days, 19 hours, 23 minutes, and 27 seconds into season

Click picture above to go
to my hunting photo albums

What
Kind of Shooting?I shoot
for fun and relaxation and I am continually trying to
improve my performances. I shoot 25 yard pistol falling
plate with .22, 9mm automatic and 38 special and 357
Magnum and 44 Magnum handguns. When not hunting season I
shoot smallbore benchrest at 25 and 50 yards. When
weather does not permit a range trip I practice at home
with my IZH-46M match air pistol. I also shoot
blackpowder cap and ball, a Uberti Colt 1860 Old Army and
a Remington 1858 New Army, both in .44, to be precise. In
addition I also shoot a Lyman .54 caliber Great Plains
Rifle, a percussion muzzleloader with which I target
shoot and of course I will be hunting with, open sight,
come the 2007 Illinois Muzzleloader Season. Blackpowder
offers a great source of shooting enjoyment as I find it
very relaxing and slower due in part to the loading times
involved. In fact I am finding myself shooting more and
more black powder and less centerfire. And make no
mistake, blackpowder pistols and rifles are very, very
accurate with the correct load and in the right hands and
their accuracy can be right up there with many modern
firearms. Why do I like shooting black powder firearms?
It must be all the smoke and smell from ye olde smoke
poles getting up my nostrils and reminding me of days
long past ... or it may just be that I am getting older
and slower myself ... most probably a combination of the
two ...

What
Kind of Hand Reloading?

During the
year I reload handgun ammunition. You got to like doing
this as it is quite repetitous. On the other hand it is
quite relaxing and fun to try to achieve the most
accurate loads you can make. I have spent many an hour
sitting at my reloading bench. At present I hand reload
38 Special target loads and 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum
hunting loads for deer hunting.

Trail
Cams?

I use trail cameras as
a scouting tool for hunting and just to get pics of the
different critters in the woods. My primary trail cams are a Moultrie I-40 and
a Leaf River IR-3BU, both infrared models with a resolution of 4.0
mega-pixels. My secondary cam, which I move around to where there is new deer action, is a Stealth Cam I230
(STC-WD2) flash camera with a 2.0 mega-pixel resolution. Trail cams have to be one of the
most addictive hobby's I have ever stumbled upon. Great for outside of the state hunting dates and they get you out in the woods all year round.